Summer along Australia’s east coast is perfect for camping holidays, and we all know it. Given the chance to unwind for a few weeks at the beach, who wouldn’t want to work on their tan, perfect their barbecuing skills and spend a lot of time in the water?

But with so many heading to the coast, campsites filling up quickly and all of us living in such close proximity in houses made of fabric, it’s really important to be good neighbours, because as television drama has told us, ‘good neighbours become good friends’. So here’s our five top tips on being a great camping neighbour.

1. Spread out, but don’t spawl. In most campsites over summer you’re allotted a defined space. There might be lines, and there might not be. Either way, set up your campsite so that you’re conscious of the space others might need, even if that means leaving a path down your border or keeping guy ropes tidy. Make sure everything fits, including your car or trailer.

2. Say hello and introduce yourself. Getting friendly with your temporary neighbour early is not only a great way to be invited to join them around their esky, but a good relationship will help both of you consider the other’s needs.

3. Remember that tents, campers and caravans are poor noise insulators. The people trying to sleep literally right next to you probably aren’t that impressed with your snoring, your crying baby, the argument over who did or didn’t inflate the air mattress, or maybe even your more intimate moments. Some of these are avoidable, others less so, but try your best to keep things quiet in the quiet of night.

4. Avoid noisy activities late at night. Not just in the tent, but out of it, be aware that noise travels. Starting your car to charge your phone is a terrible idea, as are the loud conversations late into the night. Most campsites agree that once 10pm hits, its time for quiet conversations or lights out.

5. Offer to help. Whether it’s holding a tent pole as your new neighbour sets up his tarp city, or passing camping gear up onto the roof racks, or even keeping an eye on some kids, an early offer of help during the potentially stressful time of setting up or packing down camp can be a real game changer.

Saturn antennas would like to acknowledge NRMA Holiday Parks for this helpful information.

The question we get a lot is 'What is the difference between the Travellers Mate antenna & the Saturn 3000 antenna?'

Well with the Travellers Mate antenna it only has a UHF aerial inside, however it can pick up some VHF signals because of the powerful booster built inside. Also if you put the antenna on an angle it will maximise the signal (see travellers mate knuckle). 85% of TV towers transmit on the UHF frequency. Please keep in mind that ALL Capital Cities transmit on the VHF frequency and therefor the travellers mate might have a little bit of trouble picking up the reception.

If you don't have much space the Travellers Mate is great, with a diameter of only 210mm and weighing 1kg. Great for camping, trucks and camper vans.

The best thing about the Saturn 3000 antenna is that it has both UHF and VHF aerials plus a powerful booster built inside the antenna. So that means that 90% of the time you can just put it up and away you go. So as long as there is reception there you should be able to pick up whatever is available.

The Saturn 3000 is our most popular antenna, we call it our Set-n-forget antenna. It's diameter is 480mm and only weighing 2kg. Great for Caravans, Pop tops & Boats.

If you have anymore questions please give us a call on 1800 443 471. We are more than happy to help you pick out the right Saturn Antenna for you.

With any award/recognition, there are many people to acknowledge. Believe me, there are many, many people for us to say Thank You to. Rarely do we have the opportunity to express our gratitude to all those who have been a part of the 20-year life of Saturn Antennas. So we are going to use this opportunity NOW. Thank you all - the Team, our Stockists, our Customers, our family and friends.

THE TEAM Yes, we are very excited about our award but we are just part of the team at Saturn Antennas. Peter and I want to say a huge thank you to our team that is now, as well as two other people who gave us 10 years each of outstanding service.

The team now is Tony Grant, Rob Bourne and Rebecca Conway-Jones. Without you as part of our company, we would find it impossible to operate. You are very valuable to us and we really appreciate your hard work and dedication.

To Lauri Spencer and Rodney Farr, we cannot express our gratitude for your years of service to us. You made the workplace such a happy environment with your eager willingness to adapt to whatever was asked of you. Your promptness and efficiency was remarkable. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

THE STOCKISTS Thanks to all the caravan accessory stores, TV antenna installers and all others that stock the Saturn Antenna. We appreciate you being there in the marketplace for travellers to 'touch n see' the antenna in the flesh before buying.

THE CUSTOMER You are the life-blood of all businesses. We REALLY want to say THANK YOU for your belief in an Australian Made product. Without you, we are nothing. If you see us on the road, give us a wave and a toot. If you see us at a show, call in and say HI. If you ever come to Rainbow Beach, call in for a cuppa. We love catching up to all travellers.

FAMILY & FRIENDS For your continued support and encouragement, we want to say Thank You to all our family and friends. You have applauded us in the good times and encouraged us in our down times. Thank you for being there.

And last of all, I want to say to my darling husband Thank You for designing this great antenna. Your passion for your 'baby' was contagious and made it easy for me to help you build this business to where it is today - recognised as Small Business of the Year for the Gympie Region 2017. YEEHAA!!!

Thanks everyone for helping us gain this award.

Again we have proved that there are cables and there are cables.

Not all cables are created equal...

Here's a perfect example of a poor quality cheap TV flylead being the difference between watching TV and watching nothing in a caravan or motorhome.

The white skinny cable is not up to the task, it is a poor quality single shielded cable and the black thicker one is RG6 quad shield cable (the industry standard for today's transmissions). Tuned with the white cable brings zero channels. Tuned with the RG6 Quad shield cable brings 30 (non pixelated) channels.

While you are checking the cables it is also a good idea to check the connections as well. Make sure the connections on the cables are nice and clean, like the second picture below. If the connections are corroded (like the first picture below) you will need to cut them off and put new connections on for the cable to work properly.

Since putting this information on our Facebook page we have had a lot of people contacting us about their problems with their cables.

Email sent to us 15 July 2017

"Thank you very much for that email tip re the quality of cables in connecting the TV to the antenna. At present we are camped at Mt Cotton Scout Camping area, and I found that I could only get 14 Channels, and they were Channel 9 and SBS. After recalling your email, I swapped the wall to TV feed cable to a better one, and found that I now could get the full range of channels, from 70 channels. Some are repeats of course, but I was amazed at the difference. The 14 turned into 70! As I said, thank you for reminding us of the need for quality in feed cables."

Like I said, not all cables are created equal and best to check your cables and connections before blaming the Antenna.

FILTER TO STOP PROBLEMS WITH TV RECEPTION

With the switch over to digital TV reception, the government has made further changes to the TV transmission in 2014. They have re-allocated the frequency of some transmitters after the higher frequencies were sold to the telephone companies. This affected about 40% of transmitters Australia-wide.

ANY ‘old’ (more than 3yrs old) caravan/motorhome antenna with a built-in amplifier will be boosting the signal on all channels including 52-69 (the old UHF TV channels, now being used by the phone companies). Because the antenna can’t distinguish between TV reception and phone reception, the boosting of these frequencies can create interference with the TV reception.

We have a filter that plugs into the back of the TV that will block the unwanted signal from 4G/LTE mobile transmitters.

ALL SATURN ANTENNAS MANUFACTURED SINCE DECEMBER 2014 HAVE THE LTE FILTER IN THE AMPLIFIER.

So this filter for the TV is unnecessary with these newer antennas. Older Saturn Antennas will require the filter.

We have described the Saturn Antennas according to WHICH TYPE OF CAMPING, WHAT VIEWING PREFERENCE. Beside each, we have listed other antennas in the marketplace that would be similar in performance to that particular antenna.

DOING MOSTLY 12VOLT CAMPING?

Great for the camper that enjoys National Parks, State Forests, creeks, dams.

Can be marginal depending on location

Can be marginal depending on location

STAYING IN CARAVAN PARKS ONLY?

Remember that you need clear view of the Northern sky – no trees or buildings.

Designed for the country towns especially

At least 90% as effective as the Saturn 3000

MUST YOU GET RECEPTION ALL THE TIME?

Satellite is the ONLY way to go

STORAGE?

It's a 80cm dish so if space is a problem, consider the Folding Dish or Auto Roof Dish

Can be permanently mounted on the roof or can be taken of the pole and put in the Front boot/under the bed, etc

Designed especially for people with limited space, camper trailers/small motorhomes/ tents

OTHER ANTENNA COMPARISON

Winegard – Saturn has stronger amplifier Old Winegard has NO vertical aerialExplorer – Saturn does NOT have to be set up for vertical reception

Foldaway with Amplifier – Foldaway must add an amplifier and must be adjusted

Many caravan antennas have an amplifier. The purpose of the amplifier (sometimes called a booster) is to make the signal stronger. Some antennas have an amplifier built in while other antennas can add an amplifier just before the TV. Which is the best?

To help you understand how an amplifier works, imagine the 'amplifier' as a microphone. If you hold the microphone up close to your mouth when you speak, it amplifies the sound that others hear. Now, imagine the microphone being held at arms-length from your mouth. Which will give the best result? The microphone held close to the mouth 'boosts' the sound more effectively than the microphone held away from the mouth. With the microphone held away, the sound has been allowed to disperse before it is amplified and the result is not as good.

And so it is with an amplifier for TV reception. The best place for an amplifier for a caravan antenna is either inside the antenna or as close as possible to the aerial on the outside of the antenna.

Do you need an amplifier for a caravan antenna? Let me put it this way. Think back to the last caravan park you visited. Was it in a beautiful position - beside a creek? Dam? The beach? Beautiful scenery, yes? Now consider what the challenges are for TV reception - hills, buildings, trees. Were any of these present in this magical setting? In the majority of cases, you will say yes to "trees", right? And therein lies the answer to 'Do you need an amplifier for a caravan antenna?' Of course, the easiest antenna to set up is the antenna that has the amplifier built in.

Next question is 'What size amplifier do you need?' I will leave that for the next blog, stay tuned.

This blog covers VHF and UHF TV reception.

The transmission and reception of TV signals is affected by many variables. Atmospheric moisture, solar activity, physical obstructions such as mountains and buildings, and time of day will all have an effect on the signal transmission and deterioration of signal reception.

TV transmission is still sent on two types of frequency – VHF and UHF. The VHF, low band frequency, is often used in country areas to send TV signal to a large area. The UHF transmission is used mainly in ‘local’ (one town) areas. How far the transmission is sent depends on the power of the transmitter (eg, the Canberra transmission is sent 130kms but the Barcaldine, Qld, transmitter sends it 11kms).

UHF transmission and reception can change as the atmosphere warms and cools throughout the day. The main advantage of UHF transmission is the physically short wave that is produced by the high frequency. The UHF antenna is stubby and short. The major disadvantage of UHF is its limited broadcast range and reception, often referred to as line-of-sight between the TV station’s transmission antenna and customer’s reception antenna, as opposed to VHF’s very long broadcast range and reception which is less restricted by line-of-sight.

Now what does that mean to the traveller? It means that to get the best reception, your antenna needs to have both a UHF antenna (small) as well as a VHF antenna (large).

QUICK FACTS

* All capital cities have VHF reception needing a big antenna.

* Nearly 90% of transmission in Australia comes on the UHF frequency.

1. Is it free? Do I have to pay a subscription?

It is totally FREE. In July 2010, the government set up the VAST (Viewer Access to Satellite Television) system for people living in areas where they cannot receive normal land-based TV reception. The VAST system is digital TV reception and took the place of the old Aurora analogue system. It was opened to the traveller in December 2010. The only thing you have to do is register the card in your box with the government every 6 months - no cost, no ongoing cost!! This is used for statistics - how many people are using the VAST system.

2. What equipment do I need?

In our satellite systems, we include all the components you

need to receive satellite TV reception - satellite dish, cable, satellite finder, compass, VAST receiver (box/decoder), instructions.

3. Is it 12volt?

Yes, we include a 12volt cable for the VAST box as we know that 99% of the time you will be using the satellite dish when you are 'free' camping.

4. Is it hard to set up?

It is different to land-based TV reception. The satellite dish must be pointed precisely at the satellite which is situated in the northern sky approximately off the tip of Papua New Guinea. We give you a compass for those inexperienced in finding the north in a new place (like me. I'm hopeless).

5. Is a compass all I need?

No, we include a satellite finder that helps to pinpoint the satellite. The finder that we include in the kit is one that has been calibrated to the C1 satellite only. Ten years ago, when we first began to sell satellite gear, the only finder on the market was one that had a needle gauge. Because it was not set up for one satellite only, it would 'beep' on any satellite in the sky. That's probably why you have heard all the horror stories of people taking hours/days to set up their satellite dish. Today's modern equipment has taken all the heartache out of the set up process. The fine tuning now takes less than 5 minutes.

6. What other settings are there apart from pointing the dish north?

There is also an angle of elevation that you need to set the dish on. In our instructions, we give you the Angle of Elevation and the Magnetic Azimuth (how many degrees east of North) for all the major towns in Australia.

7. But what if I have trouble setting it up?

We give you Peter's mobile number so you can call

for help. Peter has had 10 years' experience setting up satellite dishes all around the country - not just outside a shop door like most other sellers of satellite equipment. We use our satellite dish all the time when we travel. I hope I have given you some basic information on satellite TV reception. Are you interested in more information? Click here to go to our Satellite Page.

12VOLT TO THE ANTENNA

We ALWAYS like to hear from users of the Saturn Antenna. It is much better to solve the problem while you are travelling rather than wait till you reach home 2 weeks/2 months/2 years later. There is nothing more frustrating for you than to have to endure an antenna that is not working. And there is nothing more disappointing for us to have someone call and say, “We have been travelling for 9 months and the antenna has never worked.”

Two customers were very lucky that we were going past them. We were able to stop off and check out their problem. The customer in Renmark had a 12volt problem. There was no power getting to the antenna. This is an important checkpoint for someone complaining about the Saturn Antenna not working.

THERE IS AN INSPECTION HOLE ON THE FRONT OF THE ANTENNA.WHEN THE ANTENNA IS HOOKED UP PROPERLY, A GREEN (or RED depending on how old the antenna is) LED LIGHT WILL BE VISIBLE. IF THERE IS NO LIGHT, THERE IS NO POWER GETTING TO THE ANTENNA.

It is then necessary to track back where the 12volt is failing – the plugs on the cable attached to the antenna? The cable itself? the TV sockets on the van? The power supply? The 240volt point or the 12volt point? Once you have tracked where the fault lies and repaired that point, the antenna will once again start working.

Happy travelling.

Buying a caravan antenna is very, very different to buying a household antenna. In the household situation, you are attempting, with one antenna, to get the TV transmission that is coming from one transmitter. In the caravan scene, you need to consider one antenna for 7,000+ transmitters. Therefore, there are more things to consider when purchasing a caravan antenna.

The points to consider can be broken down into these categories:-

VHF and UHFHorizontal and verticalAmplifierStorageMountingCost

VHF and UHF

The first thing you need to consider is the type of reception that you are going to encounter while travelling in Australia. Without getting too technical, TV transmission comes on two types of frequency – VHF and UHF. The VHF frequency is the predominant frequency used in each of the capital cities. The best antenna for these frequencies is a very big antenna. Some of the broad-ranging transmitters like Canberra, Coonabarabran, Bundaberg/Maryborough also transmit on VHF because it travels long distances better than the UHF frequencies.

Generally, the smaller towns that have their own repeaters use UHF. The best antenna for UHF is a much smaller antenna. Whether we are discussing analogue OR digital, the considerations are still the same. There will still be VHF and UHF when Australia goes all digital.

VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL

Then to confuse the traveller even more is the fact that TV reception is transmitted on the vertical and on the horizontal. Most of the broad coverage transmitters in country areas have vertically polarised TV reception because it travels further with less break up of reception. Another reason for the use of reception on the vertical is so that it won’t clash with reception from another transmitter that is reasonably close e.g., the Noosa transmitter has UHF frequency vertically polarised so that it doesn’t clash with the Sunshine Coast UHF horizontally polarised reception. ‘But wait, there is more’. Some transmitters use both vertical AND horizontal – Orange, Shepparton, Port Macquarie and more. As you can see, there is much to consider if you want to research the topic thoroughly.

AMPLIFIERS

Many caravan parks are situated low down beside the sea/creek/dam and have shady trees. TV reception is challenged by hills, buildings, trees and distance. To overcome these challenges it is possible to add an amplifier (booster). Some antennas have the amplifier built-in. And here is another decision point – to boost or not to boost. So for the caravanner that wants the best antenna maybe these quick facts will help with the research.

QUICK FACTS

45% of reception is vertically polarised87% of reception is UHF.Most caravan parks are in areas where you need an amplifier.

DECISION TIME

If you have stuck with the reading so far, congratulations on your committment to researching the topic thoroughly. Here is a checklist for you to use when considering a number of antennas that will meet your needs. Before you fill in the checklist, answer these questions:-

Is it vitally important that you watch your favourite programs?Or do you want just the news and weather and maybe something else?Do you go to the same place each year? (Do your research on what antenna suits that place)Or do you go to many different places?Do you want the cheapest?Or do you want one that gives value for money?

We all thought when Digital TV came out that it would be the end to our TV reception problems...... however this is not the case.

We have found that a lot of electronics can interfere with Digital TV reception including, Microwaves, LED Lights, Exhaust fans and 4G Signal.

The most common interference is with LED lights. Because you can buy so much stuff online these days, we try and look for the cheapest but the cheapest is not always better. LED lights that comply with the Australian Standards will NOT interfere with the Digital TV reception.

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) also has a YouTube video explaining the interference.